If It Feels Right
by tickledpink92
Summary: Two strangers meet on a train in Iceland and immediately feel an undeniable attraction towards each other. However, theirs quickly spirals into a tale of forbidden love. Will their love persevere or will they claim defeat?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This story came to fruition as a result of anguish at the thought of waiting till January for more Ezria ;(. Left with no choice, I had to resort to daydreaming and yeah, lo and behold, this story was born. This is my very first and I'd appreciate reviews letting me know what y'all think of it. Because if it sucks, I might have to hurt myself, it could get ugly…and yeah, I'll just discontinue the story to save my self from further shame :P. Not gonna lie though, I'm pretty pleased with it so far and I hope y'all enjoy reading it (by y'all I mean all two of you hah). At the end of each chapter, I'll include a song lyric that foreshadows what the next chapter will be about. I realize that others have used song lyrics in their stories so if anyone has an issue with this, speak now or forever hold your peace. Lol jk message me and I'll stop.**

_If our love was a storybook, we would meet on the very first page…_

Aria leaned her head against the window pane, watching as heavy raindrops obscured her view of beautiful Reykjavik, the city she had called home for the past year. As the train sprang to life, she tried to take in as much of the city that she could, as if mentally capturing the whole cityscape. Sure Iceland wasn't the most ideal place to live, but how she would miss this town; from the Blue Lagoon to the beautiful campus that she had spent hours upon hours at, writing her pains away. This was the place she had been forced to grow up, and so although she would miss it, she was ready to leave. Ready to leave all the horrifying memories, to leave the people associated with them, to leave _him_.

She felt like a different person from the 16 year old who had grudgingly climbed off the plane a year ago, furious at her parents for taking her away from home, from Rosewood. Rosewood. The thought of returning to Rosewood made the butterflies in her stomach come alive. As much as she wanted to go home, she was afraid of what she would find. Would the new Aria fit in at Rosewood High? Would her friends welcome her back? Would they even recognize her? She hadn't had any communication with Spencer, Emily or Hanna in awhile, shutting herself away from the world.

Occupied with these heavy thoughts, Aria barely noticed the handsome young man who stood in front of her, speaking in broken Icelandic. It wasn't until he spoke English that she realized he was there.

"Is this seat occupied?" He asked in a loud voice, using gestures to point to the seat across from Aria.

Aria turned to face him, blinking in surprise as she did. Damn. He was drop-dead gorgeous. From the curly brown locks on his head to the sexy teacher look he had going on, this man was a sight to behold. She could not look away from his piercing blue eyes. He too stared back at her, his gaze so intense, as if he could see right through her. Aria looked away.

The stranger tried again, this time in an even louder, slower voice, gesturing like crazy.

"Is. Seat. Free?"

Aria laughed in her head. What was with people assuming that if you spoke to someone in a language they didn't know in a louder voice, somehow it would help?

She decided to string him along, and gave him a blank stare. Frustrated, the man, who upon close inspection appeared to be in his early 20s, began walking to another compartment. Aria reached out to grab his arm lightly before saying "It's free" with a lighthearted laugh.

Ezra glanced at the pretty girl's hand on arm, her touch was electrifying. She quickly took it away and patted the seat across her.

He sat down without saying a word, mesmerized by her very presence. She had beautiful long, brown hair that shaped her porcelain doll face very well. He had always had a thing for brunettes, but the girls he had dated were nothing quite like this girl-this woman. "Girl" just didn't sound right, she had a womanly aura about her, a wisdom beyond her years. There was something about her, maybe it was the way she looked at him that first time, her eyes raw and beautiful, spilling dark secrets before they had suddenly turned opaque. She had closed herself off. It was at that point Ezra realized that he wanted to know this beautiful stranger.

She finally spoke after what seemed like hours of silence.

"You know, you're lucky I understood you," she said with a smile. "If was an Icelandic girl and you were screaming at me in a foreign language, I probably would have slapped you just now."

Ezra laughed. She had a sense of humour too.

"And you would have been right in doing so. I'm sorry, I was just getting really antsy trying to get your attention over here. Living in Iceland for a week with only Google Translator on your iPad to help communicate can get extremely frustrating. I'm Ezra Fitz, by the way."

She smiled. God, she was alluring. "Pleasure to meet you, Ezra. I'm Aria Montgomery."

"The pleasure is all mine. Aria's a lovely name." He smiled back. "So, I assume you're leaving Iceland as well?" _No shit Sherlock_, thought Ezra to himself. _Why else would she be on the train to the airport?_

"Yeah, I lived here for a year with my family. They've already gone back to the States, I was just finishing off a writing course I took at the local university and now I'm on my back." Aria got comfortable, taking off her boots to reveal funky, feather socks. She crossed her legs and asked, "How about you?"

"I'm headed to the states as well. I was just here for a teaching workshop organized by my college. I just graduated with a specialist degree in English. Starting my first teaching job." He grinned at her, not bothering to hide how proud and excited he was.

Aria smiled broadly, "I'm, I'm impressed. Congratulations."

This could not get any better. This amazingly cute guy was intelligent. And he was an English major. How incredibly sexy.

"Yeah!" He answered, "Something tells me you are too? You said you write, right? Don't tell me you're an English major too?"

"Well," Aria paused. "I'm leaning toward English." She wasn't about to tell him that she had a year before she could claim to be majoring in anything. And anyway, it didn't matter, she'd probably never see him again. America was a big country.

"That's crazy." Ezra said, tilting his head back in wonder. "Who knows, maybe we'll somehow sit next to each other on the plane ride back. I feel like we were destined to meet or something. I'd like to know more about you."

"Well, Mr. Fitz," Aria said, dropping her legs on the floor and leaning closer to Ezra, almost touching him. She was never this daring. "We've got this whole train ride to get to know each other."

The sexual tension between them was heavy on Ezra_. What if I never see her again after this, _he thought. _If this is all the time we have, I want to make the most of it._

Before she knew what was going on, Ezra leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. He looked into her eyes, asking for permission to go back in. Aria smiled and closed her eyes, feeling sparks fly as Ezra went in for a deep kiss. He was a really, really good kisser. (_We all know how experienced Ian is with the tongue :P_) They broke away after a couple minutes, breathless and slightly lightheaded.

"So," Ezra said, moving back to his seat, "tell me why you had that broken look in your eyes that first time you looked at me. What's the asshole's name?"

Next time on If It Feels Right:

_And now you're trying to fix me, mend what he did, find the piece that i'm missing…_


	2. Chapter 2

For a split second, Aria looked shocked. And just like that, it was gone. Back was the Aria with the mature, self-assured face she always had on.

"And what makes you think it was a guy? It could have been anything." She asked with a small smile.

_Women_. Ezra thought. "So it wasn't a guy?"

"It was." Aria admitted.

"Exactly." he retorted. He leaned forward, becoming serious. "What did he do to you?"

Aria broke his steady gaze and looked out the window.

"Aria," Ezra said with a soft voice, "Sometimes it's easier to tell strangers things you couldn't even tell your best friends. And as much as I hate admitting it, I could very well end up being just a stranger you met on the train."

She turned back towards him without looking him in the eyes. Finally, she spoke.

"His…his name was Jason. We met at a bar one night in Reykjavik and immediately hit it off. He told me he attended the local university and played football." She took a deep breath.

Clearly, this was much harder for her than he had anticipated. Ezra realized he needed to change the atmosphere a bit.

"You know Aria, it's like Taylor says." He said with a serious face, "In your life, you'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team."

Aria laughed in spite of herself. "You listen to Taylor Swift." She stated, as if ensuring she wasn't hearing things.

"Yes." Ezra said firmly, showing no shame whatsoever. "Her new album's great, and I'll shank anyone who says otherwise." (_Woot, Shmian reference :P_)

"But this is about you Aria."

Aria felt tears spring in her eyes and Ezra watched as a single tear fell on her lap. She looked so small at that moment and all he wanted to do was take her into his arms and protect her from the world. This beautiful stranger he had just met.

"Sweetheart," he said endearingly, not caring if it wasn't in his place. "You need to tell someone about this. It's killing you. Look at me Aria"

Aria felt her heart beat against her chest and forced herself to look up and into his eyes. It wasn't the fact that he was a stranger that made her want to open up, but the deep compassion she saw in his eyes. He really cared for her.

Letting out a shaky breath, she began her story.

"We went out for a week and things were great. Or so I thought. Looking back, I can't believe how stupid I was not to realize he wasn't who I made him out to be. He was different than the other guys I dated in the past, he didn't like going on public dates. He loved the dark. I had pink hair extensions at the time and he was obsessed with them. When I took them off, he would get so angry. I didn't think much of it, and to be honest, I chose not to. One time, we were driving by a stray dog at midnight and he started honking at, laughing as it jumped with fright. And that was really when I forced myself to see him as he was. And I was a little bit frightened of what I saw."

Aria shifted in her seat and Ezra realized how fixatedly he had been staring at her the entire time. Perhaps she was a little uncomfortable. He relaxed in his seat a bit and waited for her to continue.

Aria took a long pause and then turned back to Ezra with vulnerable yet steady eyes.

"It wasn't until I found the videos that I freaked out. I went over to his house one night, to break it off ironically. He wasn't home but his mother let me into his room. I'd never been in it before. He had this whole shelve that took up an entire room, full of old fashioned video tapes. And in the middle was a TV. (_If you've seen American Beauty, it's like the room that dude has.) _The TV was turned on and there was a cassette inside the VHS player. Curiosity got the best of me so I…I hit play."

Her voice broke at this point, and Ezra found himself taking her hands in his, moving closer.

"They were videos of me. Sleeping, cc-changing. And he narrated these really strange, erotic stories in the background. About me. I felt the life drain out of me watching as the video progressed. I couldn't move. It was like one of those nightmares you have where you're being chased and you can't move and you're terrified to death. Except this was real."

"Oh Aria." Ezra whispered with a broken voice. He moved over to her seat and hugged her tightly. They fit so well together.

Aria let herself let go in his arms for a few seconds before straightening herself up.

"I…I have to finish Ezra. So I stood there in his room for God knows how long, before his mother started calling me. I couldn't answer. She found me and took one look at my face before rushing over and sitting me down on his bed, profusely asking me what was wrong. When I finally gained some composure, I pointed at the TV. She hadn't noticed it once, having given all her attention to me.

"She screamed Ezra, she screamed Bloody Mary. All these years with her son and she'd never had an idea what he was capable of. When I finally got out of the house that night, she promised me she would send him to a psychologist and figure out what was wrong. I almost felt worse for her than myself, to give birth to a monster…" Aria shook her head.

"My family had already left Iceland at that point. I had no one Ezra." She broke into sobs as Ezra tightened their embrace. "and I had never felt more lonelier and scared in my life. So I started writing, on campus, off campus, everywhere. I learned a couple weeks later that he'd been sent off to join the army. His mother never sent him to the psychologist. But I didn't care, he was out of my life. I carried on for the next few months, alive but barely living. I finished off my writing course and now here I am."

Ezra, stunned into silence, couldn't find any words to convey his emotions. So instead, he kissed her. He put every fibre of his being into the kiss, trying to express everything he was feeling. And the two of them sat there, encompassed in each other as the train soared on.

**Author's note: Jason's mother didn't send him to the psychologist because if she did, there's a chance he would've been diagnosed with some mental illness or other. And that would invalidate our loathing him. You're welcome :p**

I leave you with these words:

_I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills, till the landslide brought me down…_


	3. Chapter 3

**You know what to do. Read and review, folks, read and review.**

Aria and Ezra broke off their tight embrace as the train gave a sudden jolt. Aria nearly fell over the seat before Ezra grabbed her. They could hear people in the other compartments screaming, someone shouted "Earthquake!" while the emergency seat belt sign flashed red.

"What the hell's going on?" Aria cried over the noise.

"I don't know, I think we fell off the track!" Ezra shouted back.

Aria found herself hyperventilating, her heart beat against her chest as she tried to calm herself down. _We're going to die. _She thought.

"No we're not!" Ezra yelled. _Had she said that aloud? _

"We will be fine!" Ezra turned to look at her, and noticed she was shaking. _"_You'll be alright Aria!"

But Aria was far from alright. "No we're not, Ezra. We're going to die and I won't even get a chance to say goodbye. I haven't even talked to anybody in the past two months, not even my mom. Do you have a phone? I have to call them Ezra! I have to apologize. And Mrs. Welsch! I have to apologize to her for that time I let Leo pee on her yard! She's a horrible lady but that gave me no right!"

"Aria, listen to me! You have to relax. They're working on getting the train back on track."

It was like she couldn't hear a word he said. "I'm going to die and I have accomplished nothing in life! I've never traveled the world, I've never met Leo-the actor not my dog-Dicaprio! I've never written a novel, I've never…nnever fallen in love! I'll never have that kiss in the rain, I'll always be a virg-Ezra, will you make love to me?"

Ezra's eyes grew big. _She's having a mental breakdown._ He realized.

"Aria, Aria please listen to me. You're not going to die. Look, the train's barely roaring anymore. They've almost got it fixed. We will survive."

But she wasn't hearing any of it. Aria had already started to unbutton her pale pink cardigan. "Please Ezra? I don't want to die a virgin. Come on, don't be such a prude!"

Ezra lost it when she stood up to unzip her jeans. He couldn't take advantage of her like this.

"Aria!" He said, grabbing onto her shoulders. "Stop! You don't realize what you're doing."

By this time, the train had already fallen back into place, running smoothly on its tracks. Yet Aria realized none of this.

Not knowing what to do, Ezra screamed at the top of his lungs, not caring that the whole train would hear.

"ARIA!"

At that, she finally came to. Sinking back in her seat, she looked around, blinking before she finally turned to Ezra.

"Oh my God. Did I just…?" Her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink while her eyes veered off of Ezra's face, ashamed to look at him.

Ezra nodded solemnly before speaking in a drained voice. "You need to see someone Aria. What that bastard did, it's…it's broken you."

"Yeah, I will. I just can't believe I asked you to…wow. I'm so sorry."

It was as if the air had changed, things were suddenly awkward between them.

"It's totally fine Aria." Ezra gave a little laugh, trying to ease the uncomfortable situation.

The realization that she had practically forced him to have sex embarrassed Aria to such extent. And the fact that he warded her off…that was bittersweet. Of course she knew that he'd done the gentlemanly thing, but part of her wondered if he was repulsed at the thought of having sex with her. She could barely look him in the eye.

Ezra himself had no clue what to say. So he said nothing and suddenly became fascinated with his feet.

Luckily for them, the train came to a screeching stop. Aria caught sight of the airport and inwardly sighed with relief. Yet deep down, both Aria and Ezra were dreading the airport. The airport meant goodbye.

**Prepare for a sad parting in the next chapter**_**:**_

_Now you're gone and there's an echo in my head. And I remember every word you said…_

**No worries though, it's momentary in the grand scheme of things. **


	4. Chapter 4

10/13/2011

**Hey y'all! So I have the biggest, goofiest smile on my face right now because of your wonderful reviews haha. I appreciate them all, especially those of you who reviewed all three chapters! Your questions will be answered in the coming chapters so hold tight ****. **

**I have this thing where I need a certain atmospheric ambience to get my creative juices flowing. Is it like that for all of you? Usually I write in a coffee shop or a secluded area on campus (my campus is a writer's dream you guys, I love it) cause I'm stereotypical hah. But today I come to you from my sister's place and I'm just not feeling it. She lives across my old high school, and they're filming Degrassi here today so it gets loud at times. **

**Anyway, here is chapter four for my lovely readers. Reviews are lovely too. **

**PS did I mention I like reviews?**

"Attention passengers embarking on Flight B26. We will be boarding in ten minutes."

Aria stood up after hearing the announcement, surrounded by her luggage and Ezra.

"Well, I guess this is it." She said, giving Ezra a sad smile.

The awkwardness that had enveloped them in the train still lingered. 

"I'm glad we exchanged numbers. Keep in touch okay? And make sure you visit a therapist. Promise me, Aria."

"Yeah, I'll do that," she gave a little laugh, "Make sure I'm not completely gone."

"Aria," Ezra reprimanded.

"Alright, alright. I promise."

"And you'll call me? Let me know how you're doing?"

"Yes mom." Aria smiled.

"That's a good girl." Ezra beamed back. "Let me get one last good look at you."

Holding her shoulders, he took in every part of her before landing on her eyes. Her deep hazel eyes.

_Say it. Just say it. _Ezra thought to himself. _You may never see her again, idiot. JUST SAY IT._

"Passengers, you may now board flight B26."

"Goodbye Ezra." Aria got on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

Ezra's heart nearly pounded out of his chest as she started walked away. He couldn't just let it end like this.

Grabbing hold of her arm, he pulled her to him and kissed her passionately.As they reluctantly pulled away, breathing heavily, Ezra spoke.

"Aria, I…I want to see where this goes." He said in a rush, motioning with his hands. "I know that we probably live states apart and we'll have to rely on Skype dates and phone calls but-"

"Okay." Aria said, cutting him off.

"Okay?"

"Okay." She replied, her smile growing by the second. "I'd like to see where this goes too."

Ezra tried wiping the ridiculous smile off his face and failed miserably.

"I'll call you when things get settled and we can talk."

"Sounds good." After a tight hug and a final snog, Aria walked off to board the plane.

_You still didn't say it you fool. _

_Shut up. She'll think I'm an idiot._

_Look, if you don't say it now, you'll miss the chance._

Before Ezra could argue some more with his head, he blurted it out, "And just to set the record straight Aria, I would've slept with you if we were really about to die!"

The whole airport turned to stare. One woman gave him a dirty look, covering her son's ears. The flight attendant giggled as Aria handed her the boarding pass, her cheeks turning a rosy pink.

"Hold on to that one." The fight attendant told her as she walked by. Aria smiled and turned to wave at Ezra before boarding.

Watching out the window as the plane flew over the Atlantic, Aria held her breath in marveling at the beauty. She hated planes but this view made it worth it. Now if only Ezra was beside her instead of these annoying thirteen year old girls. And to think that she was only a couple years older than them.

"Oh my God Sally, this plane is missing the left falangee!" One of them exclaimed in a dramatic voice, her face a mask of mock horror.

The other one gave an exaggerated gasp, mirroring her friend's face. The elderly woman across Aria turned to face them upon hearing this, looking worried, as did the flight attendant who was passing by.

"What?" The attendant asked.

_Oh good Lord, _thought Aria. Sighing, she realized she would have to be the one to put an end to the brouhaha.

"Don't pay them any mind. There is no falangee." She told them, shaking her head.

"There's NO falangee?" The girl named Sally shrieked, desperately trying to hold her laughter in.

The elderly woman looked like she was about to have a heart attack. "You need to inform the pilot!" She told the attendant.

"I mean, there's no such thing as a falangee." Aria quickly added. "They're just kidding around. The whole falangee thing is from a TV show," She explained.

The flight attendant gave her a look, as if to say, _I think I would know a little bit more about planes and falangees than you. _

"I'm sure you know what you're talking about, ma'am." She said, turning her nose up. "But I think I'll inform the pilot anyhow."

"Okay, guys. Give it up." Aria said, facing the girls. "This really isn't funny. You could get into a lot of shi-trouble for this."

They grudgingly obliged, sending the flight attendant off in a huff.

"Who spit in her bean curd?" Sally mumbled to her friend, nodding towards Aria. (Mulan ref!)

_Brats_, Aria thought.

"Did someone deprive you of a childhood or something?" The nameless brat had the nerve to ask, "'Cause you're no fun."

Aria ignored them and closed her eyes. _You have no idea. _Her thoughts now turned to Ezra, who had probably boarded his plane by now. _I wonder what he's doing._ She chuckled lightly thinking, _probably listening to Taylor Swift._ She got out her iPod and put on a song from Speak Now, taking comfort in the knowledge that somewhere in the sky, her beautiful stranger was doing the same.

When Ezra arrived at his apartment late that night, he came home to a billion messages on his ancient answering machine. Most of them were from his mom and Hardy. And the very last one was from Jackie. Ezra's ex.

"Hey Z, it's me. Just thought I'd congratulate you on Rosewood, which by the way, I can't believe your mother had to tell me about! Anyway, you're forgiven. It'll be fun working with a hot English teacher next door. Call me and maybe we can plan a coffee date before school tomorrow." She ended the message with her signature sickly sweet giggle (_dat hoe_).

Ezra hit the delete button on instinct and looked over his shoulders, as if expecting Aria there with her hands on hips, demanding an explanation. He let out a sigh of relief and sank down on his weathered couch. A "coffee date" with Jackie was the last thing he needed. The last thing he wanted. He had no interest in Jackie anymore; having broke up with her over a year ago. But if they were going to work together, he had to stay on her good side. Because he'd seen evil Jackie and he certainly didn't a comeback.

He called her back, and much to his relief, it went straight to her answering machine. "Hey Jackie, it's Ezra. Coffee sounds great, but I'm really tied down at the moment preparing lessons and whatnot. Maybe once school starts up and things get a bit more settled. Anyway, see you tomorrow."

And with that, Ezra was out.

**First one to guess what TV show I paid homage to with that falangee thing gets a shout out! I know I'm going slow, I mean they just got off the plane but you'll enjoy the next one. Bet you can guess what it is. No? I'll tell you: classroom scene, whatwhat! I will be making the scene my own though so hold on to your socks, and don't think you know how it'll go down! :p**

_Half of my heart's got a grip on the situation, half of my heart takes time. Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you that I can't keep lovin' you… _


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for the kind reviews, they give me such motivation! I have a mid-term tomorrow so of course, I've been doing anything but studying. Hence, this chapter. A shout out to everyone who guessed Friends, but a special shout out to JessTwilightPLL who answered first! **

**Just a little clear-up on the villains: Jason is not Ali's brother and I've painted him in darker colours than he is portrayed on the show for the purposes of this story. I find Jason on the show more bearable than Jackie because he stepped back when he saw Ezra and Aria kissing, plus he's the reason Ezra stepped up. I could be speaking too soon though. There is something sinister about him though, as is the case with the rest of the DiLaurentis family (Alison in particular). Jackie on the other hand…well, I'm sure you'll be able to tell how I feel about her through my writing. I won't do her any favours, she will appear as cold and conniving as she is on the show, though it will all be out in the open as opposed to only in front of Aria.**

**On that note, here is the longest chapter I have written so far! Enjoy. x**

Aria hugged her leather jacket close to her body as she walked towards the prison she called high school. It was a chilly September day as the first day of school always seemed to be, except on this first day, Aria did not have that jittery, excited feeling she normally did. In fact, the gloomy weather emulated her mood. She was nervous as hell.

The atmosphere at home hadn't helped matters either. When Aria had arrived home last night, her mother was in uproar. The lack of phone calls, emails or any form of communication had left Ella in a constant state of worry. On top of that, Ella's marriage was in shambles after her husband confessed to his illegitimacy. Poor Aria received the brunt of the storm, and barely got a word in. Her brother Mike refused to talk to her, and Aria knew he secretly blamed her for leaving him to deal with their parents' separation. Little did they know that Aria herself had gone through hell and back, and the reason she had closed herself off from her family and friends was because of that.

As she walked to school, consumed with such thoughts, Aria felt a bitterness arise as a realization dawned on her. _They didn't even want to know why I shut myself off. _Her mother hadn't asked her once _why_ she hadn't called or emailed. Ella had just gone off about her problems, while Mike had ignored her. _But can you blame them? You're the one who shut them off, remember. _While Aria realized his, it still hurt. She blinked back tears and thought of Ezra. Ezra, who had cared for her and reached out when she had no one. His name was as beautiful as his personality.

Making her way to her first period class, Aria kept her thoughts on Ezra. Though she felt disgusted with herself having to rely on a guy to keep her positive, it was the only way she could get through. And Ezra wasn't just some guy, he was quite possibly _the_ guy.

Taking a deep breath, she turned the corner and saw that the door to her English class was closed. Glancing at her watch, she realized she was ten minutes early. _Great._ Aria groaned to herself. _So much for blending in with the crowd and walking in inconspicuously._

She peeked through the window in the door and quickly drew her head back after what she saw. It looked like an intimate moment between a man who was sitting on a desk and a woman who had her hand on his leg. She presumed they were teachers, but the man, who had his back to her, had looked extremely familiar. Curiosity got the best of her, and Aria went in for another peek. At that moment, the male teacher turned his face and got up from the desk, letting Aria catch his side profile. _No._ She thought, shrinking back against the lockers behind her. _It can't be him. _

But it was. It was Ezra.

Jackie felt Ezra twitch uncomfortably as she placed her hand on his leg. He quickly removed it with his own hand.

"Jackie, I don't know what that was, but I'm seeing someone." He said firmly, giving her a serious look to ensure she got the message.

Shaking her head, Jackie snapped at him. "What are you talking Z? You agreed to a coffee date remember? Or were you just leading me on?"

"I never agreed to a date, I agreed to coffee. I didn't know you meant a date date." He felt the intensity of her glare as he continued. "Look, I thought it was just coffee between friends. I apologize if you misunderstood."

Jackie looked away for a second, as if trying to compose herself. Without turning back, she asked who it was.

Ezra got off the desk and walked a couple steps away from her in a daze. Though she couldn't see his face as he responded, she could hear the smile in his voice.

"She's wonderful. I met her on a train in Iceland and we…we just connected."

"So she lives in Iceland? And how do you plan on making that work?" Jackie asked bitterly. Before letting him respond, she continued. "Because long-term relationships never work."

Ezra clenched his hands but didn't respond. She took that opportunity to turn him around to face her.

"Z, you know I'm right." She said, suddenly sporting a soft, sweet voice. "And what we had, I want that back. And I know you do too. Don't let some stupid foreign girl ruin that for us."

Ezra felt his blood boil. No one talked about Aria like that. Keeping his hands clenched, he spoke in the harshest voice he had ever used on anyone.

"Jackie, you need to leave."

Stepping back, Jackie replied in the same sweet voice. Z didn't faze her.

"Whether you realize it or not Z, we are meant for each other. And you will be mine."

Satisfied with having the last word, she let herself out of his classroom

Meanwhile, Aria sat with her back against the lockers, not bothering to cover the tears that ran down her face. She wasn't one to jump to conclusions, but the way that woman had touched Ezra, it was so…_intimate_. There was definitely something going on.

Kids started trickling in at that point, and Aria quickly wiped the tears away, getting up as she did. She heard someone call her name and came face to face with the four people she had been most nervous to see today.

"Aria? Is that you?"

"Oh my God, it's Aria guys!"

The series of whoops and laughs soon turned into silence as the girls took in the frazzled Aria before them. She seemed smaller than ever, and her eyes were unmistakably red.

"Aria, why the hell didn't you ca-"

"Hanna, shut up," Spencer interrupted as Emily wrapped her arm around Aria. "What's wrong?"

Forcing a smile on her face, Aria replied.

"There's just someone in there that I don't want to see. A boy." She said, trying to muster a little laugh. "I'm so happy to see you guys though. I'm sorry I didn't call, I just got really tied up in Iceland, what with writing and college."

The three girls gave each other looks knowing there was much more to the story than Aria was letting on. But she would tell them when she was good and ready.

Spencer spoke up with a huge smile, realizing she needed to divert the conversation elsewhere. "We've missed you so much. Come here, you!"

Laughing, the girls went in for a group hug. The shrill sound of the bell broke them apart and they each straightened themselves up getting ready to head to class. Hanna pulled something out of her bag and handed it to Aria.

"Put these on." she said with a smirk.

Shades. Aria shook her head smiling lightly, grateful that Hanna was still the same old Hanna.

"Well, as long as they're not stolen." Aria joked. The girls laughed, recalling Hanna's history of petty theft.

It was then that the woman Aria had seen with Ezra sauntered out of his classroom, her heels clanking loudly on the bare floors. She took one look at Aria and sneered.

"Sunglasses are prohibited in school. Unless you're blind or something."

"Bitch." Hanna muttered as she walked away. "Don't listen to her, Aria. I've got this covered."

As the girls walked into class, Aria bent her head, getting ready to walk as quickly as she could to a seat in the back row. But Hanna ruined her chances of a discreet getaway.

"Sir, my friend has a black eye." She said, pointing to Aria. "Hence, the glasses."

_I'm going to kill her. _Aria thought as Ezra turned to look at her. He frowned, as if trying to place her but fortunately for Aria, her hair and the shades were enough of a disguise.

Nodding, he turned back to the chalkboard to write his name. Turning to face the class, his eyes immediately drifted toward the girl with the shades, who still sat incognito. Who was she? And why couldn't he take his eyes off of her? There was something about her that reminded him of…Aria. Ezra felt his heart sink before he forced the thought out of his head. There was no way this was Aria.

"Settle down everyone. I'm your new English teacher, Mr. Fitz." Ezra found his eyes on the girl once again and noticed her flinch. He told himself he was seeing things.

"Today we'll be starting off with a little review," he began, walking around the class to hand out the handout. When he got to her, he brushed his hand with hers on purpose. He had to know.

The shock he felt when he had first met Aria met his hand once again. Aria quickly took her hand away and Ezra heard a cough from the boy behind her. Right. He couldn't talk stand here trying to figure out if this girl in his first period English class was in fact his girlfriend.

Somehow, he made it through the period and as the class trickled out, he called out her name. "Aria, can you stay back for a moment?"

At the sound of her name, Aria froze. Spencer, Emily and Hanna waved goodbye and told her they would meet her at lunch.

The two of them were all alone now and Ezra shut the door firmly as the last student, Dan Farren, who had some trouble getting his faux-hawk through the door, walked out.

Aria felt her heart beat fast as he walked towards her and stopped only when they were barely touching. Ezra gingerly took her shades off and stared into her eyes.

"Aria." He whispered.

"How did you know?" Aria asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

"How could I not know? I could recognize you in a flashmob. That, and your name was on the attendance roster." He gave a little smile.

Aria didn't return the smile but continued to stare at him.

"Aria, why didn't you tell me you were in high school? If I had known…I, I-"

"What, Ezra? What would you have done? Because I don't doubt that you would've still taken advantage of me. A broken, deranged girl on the side to fulfill your sick desires. Does your girlfriend know? Or wait, maybe it was her ide-"

"Aria!" Ezra gasped, not believing what he was hearing. _What the hell was she talking about?_

"Aria," he took her hands into his, "Please stop. Where is this coming from?"

"Ezra, I saw-"

The door to Ezra's room swung open and in walked the last person either of them wanted to see: Jackie.


	6. Chapter 6

11/02/2011

**Hey guys! This chapter is incredibly long, reason being: I tend to do things in one-shot. Like when I'm reading, I almost NEED to read in one sitting. So yeah, I had ideas and I wanted to get them all out at once. I think you will enjoy the end of the chapter so stay tuned! **

Jackie's icy, blue eyes fell on their interlocked fingers before Aria could hastily take her hand away. She hadn't even realized that they were touching.

"Don't you have a class to attend to…Miss Montomery?" She said the last words with a certain emphasis, which Aria understood to mean _I know who you are and I will get you back, bitch. _

Aria fought the urge to voice the obscenities running through her head, and instead opted for something a little more subtle yet just as effective: a deadly Jenna smile. Putting on her shades, Aria kept the smile all the way to the door, not even bothering to glance back at Ezra, before she let herself cave in to the fresh tears.

Meanwhile, Ezra went into shock and only seemed to register what was happening when he heard the door slam. Coming to, he realized that Jackie was now heading towards him in an angry fit. It then dawned on him, the "girlfriend" Aria had thought he had; it was Jackie. His own personal gift from Hell. Ezra started towards the door, in hopes that he could catch up to Aria, explain that Jackie was nothing to him, that the only woman in his life was her. His hand just about turned the knob before he heard her voice.

"If you know what's good for her, you will not open that door."

Ezra paused at her words, breathing hard but refusing to take his hand off the knob.

"Because if the school board was to find out that Miss Aria has been sleeping around with a teacher, I'm not sure that would run so well."

Ezra blanched at the words. In all the fervor, he had forgotten the reality of the situation. There was no way in hell that he could be with Aria. There was no point in chasing her, it would only cause her further grief. Perhaps it was better that she hated him.

This obnoxious cow, however, he had to take care of. It was unbelievable, how someone could be so far from the person you thought they were.

"Aria has never slept with me. So I have a hard time believing you could prove anything."

"Oh but Ezra, I never said you were the teacher. I have no problem with imprisoning Peter MacNally (_One More Secret reference, shout out to the brilliant Katy!_)."

Ezra shook his head furiously. "Aria has NEVER touched that man."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Jackie took a step back as Ezra spouted fire out of his eyes. "Relax, Ezra. I'm only kidding." She gave a little wry laugh. "Only, I can very easily convince Principal Cole otherwise. You see, he and I have a little arrangement. I spend quite a bit of time at his office. It gets lonely without you, Z."

Jackie pretended not to faze at his fury, inspecting her nails, while in reality, she was a bit scared to look into his eyes. She'd never seen Ezra this angry before. Though, deep down, she knew Ezra would never hurt her in any way. He was too much of a gentleman. And with that knowledge, she continued.

"And if the laws didn't get her, the kids would. High school is a not a friendly place, Z. Rumours spread like wildfire and before long, your little slut will have had to relocate to another state. And you will never see her again. Is that what you want?_"_

Suddenly, a new thought occurred to her.

"And that girl in Iceland, I doubt she'd want to hear about this."

Ezra automatically averted his eyes. She could not know they were the same person.

But Jackie was very good at reading people.

"Wait, this little high school girl is your amazing Icelandic find?" Jackie clapped her hands in mock glee.

"What do you want, Jackie?"

"Finally you ask." Walking closer to him, Jackie stated her one wish. Her reason for everything.

"We will present ourselves as a couple. I know that if you give us time, you will come around and see that we are soulmates." Grabbing his hand, Jackie switched back to her normal, sickly-sweet tone. "That's all I want."

Ezra took his hand out of her grasp, albeit with some difficulty, she was determined, if anything.

His lips begged to say the three words he felt so deeply towards this woman, but his mind reminded him what was at stake. If he proclaimed his hate, it would destroy Jackie beyond measure. And the consequences of his selfish act would fall on Aria.

So he paused for a moment, letting his built up rage settle down before saying, "Okay."

The next morning was a quiet one at the Montgomery household. Aria was the only one home, with her mother having gone on a week long trip to Chicago with her girlfriends. Ella had claimed the need to get away from Rosewood to clear her head, while Aria's brother claimed the need to get away from her, choosing to stay at a friend's until their mother got home. Which was fine with her. Because being left by the people she loved was what it took to get Aria to realize that she could depend on no one. From now one, she was done crying, done caring about anyone, anything.

With a brand new attitude came a brand new look, and this morning, Aria went for a risqué look. The Marc Jacobs mini dress that she had received as a present from her friend Alison but had never worn was perfect for the occasion. It accentuated her cleavage and gave her curves a boost. With a couple coats of scarlet-red lipstick and a satisfied glance in the mirror, Aria made her way to school.

Walking into first period, Aria held her head up high and sauntered in. If Ezra was expecting to see some broken doll, he was in for it. Aria would not be taken advantage of again. Heads turned and a chorus of whistles rippled through the class. Ezra looked up from his desk to see what the commotion was about, and nearly fainted.

"Is it Halloween already?" One smartass asked, because everyone knew, girls like Aria only dressed slutty on Halloween. Only Aria never had.

"No, it's Christmas." Noel Kahn said in a daze. Aria gave him a little smile and her eyes quickly turned to Ezra before she could command them not to. He had a sad look in his eyes, which confused Aria. She tore her eyes away to safe territory, Noel. He was positively drooling and Aria knew guys like that inside out. They were all testosterone.

Giving him a little wink, she took her seat.

Back at his desk, Ezra nearly broke his pencil watching the way the boys, Noel in particular, were inspecting Aria. He didn't know why she was doing this, but if it was to make him jealous, then it was definitely working.

"Today, you're going to be reading the poems that I assigned you all to write aloud. We'll start with…Noel."

It was pretty obvious to everyone that Noel hadn't done the assignment, and though Ezra acknowledged that his petty form of revenge was extremely childish, it gave him satisfaction nonetheless.

Noel looked flustered at first and then proceeded to search his desk for the nonexistent sheet of paper on which he had written his poem, while Ezra called out, "Any day now, Mr. Kahn."

Noel glanced across the room and his eyes landed on Aria. With sudden inspiration, he stood up and made his way to the front of the class.

"I memorized my poem, Mr. Fitz. Thought I'd score some extra points, you know." He laughed nervously.

Ezra remained silent. There wasn't really anything to do except watch Noel make a fool of himself. Part of him felt bad.

"My poem is called _Aria_."

The class laughed as Noel winked in her direction. Aria turned bright red while Mr. Fitz looked down at his desk in a stony silence.

_Aria, sweet Aria._

_How sexy you look today_

_You dress, your curves, your lips_

_Enticing_

_If I could kiss you, tou-_

"I think that's enough, Mr. Kahn. Back to your seat." Ezra spat out.

At this point, the class had begun singing 'Kiss the girl.'

Aria chose that moment to look at Ezra, and registered the deep hurt in his smoldering blue-grey eyes. She didn't understand it. A small voice suggested that maybe he cared more than she thought. Regardless, despite the fact that he had caused her so much pain, it was more than she could bear. Aria stood up and spoke above the noise,

"There will be no kissing. I'm sorry Noel, you're a great guy but I really don't want a boyfriend right now."

Noel being Noel, replied pleadingly "How about just a little kiss? On the cheek?"

Aria shook her head firmly but gave him a little smile. She knew he wasn't a bad guy, he wasn't the type to force a kiss on her or anything. And he had recited a poem for her after all. Notwithstanding the content, it was a cute gesture.

The rest of the class went by painstakingly slowly, and Aria counted the seconds until she could leave. She was changing out of these clothes into something more...her. The red lipstick was there to stay though, she wasn't quite ready to let go of this new, stronger Aria.

When the bell rang, she forced herself to pack slowly. She needed to get in a word with Ezra. Marching up to his desk, she looked him dead in the eye.

"After our conversation was rudely cut short the other day, I did some thinking. I realized that I never gave you a chance to explain. That maybe I was wrong about you and Jackie."

The truth was, it was only after the episode with Noel that made her wonder if there was a chance she had gotten it wrong. That maybe she wasn't just a side toy.

However, Ezra didn't respond. He could barely look her in the eyes.

She shook her head, trying to maintain composure.

"So you really are a jerk. Maybe I will give Noel that kiss."

For a second, she caught sight of a flash in his eyes and then it was gone. And with that, so was she.

Later that evening, Ezra came home to a pile of papers and an empty refrigerator. Sighing, he flopped down on his couch, preparing for a session of mindless TV. For him, that equated to FOX news.

"In other news, a rain storm is headed towards Rosewood area tonight, nothing too serious..."

Aria got off the couch, flipping off the TV. She really wasn't in the mood for Eastenders tonight. Looking around the living room, she noticed how neat and tidy it was. Everything was in its place, untouched. Upon close inspection, she could see the thin layers of dust building up on the coffee table, the TV stand. It was almost as if no one lived here. Her thoughts took her back to happier times, to the memories created in this very room. It wasn't the extravagant birthday parties or Christmas dinners she thought of, but those simple nights her family had spent watching home videos or Disney movies together. She needed to get out of this house. Grabbing the car keys, she made her way to the door and slammed it behind her.

Later that evening, Ezra sat down at his desk and began marking the papers he'd promised to hand back tomorrow. Half an hour later, he had already made his way through the first paper. Which was an accomplishment worthy of a break, he thought chuckling to himself lightly. He got up to stretch and nearly fell when his phone rang. Looking around as if expecting someone to laugh, he answered.

"Hello?"

"Ezra-a…Sssorry, I didn't know who to call."

"Aria? Aria, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"I need help. Please-"

"Aria? ARIA!" The line cut off as the lights in his apartment went out. Outside, violent rain attacked the ground while the howling wind left trees swaying dangerously. The storm was clearly a lot more serious than the weatherwoman had predicted. No surprising there.

Swearing, he slammed his phone on the table. _Okay, Ezra. _He thought. _Calm down. Think back to the call. What did the background sound like?_

_Waves. _The ocean. Aria was at the beach.

Ezra was drenched by the time he reached his car. It was darker than usual and the streets were empty. He drove as fast as he could, ignoring stop signs and traffic signals. The only thoughts that consumed his mind were dangerous. He couldn't help thinking of the way Aria had sounded…like she was drowning.

He didn't stop driving until he could hear the wet sand crunching beneath his wheels. Running out of the car, he shouted Aria's name. It was a good thing the beach was small, he could easily survey the waters as he ran along the edge. When he saw the tiny figure floating against the tempestuous waves, his heart sank. He ran into the water and grabbed Aria's lifeless body, dragging her out to shore.

His lips touched her blue ones as he breathed into her, pumping her chest in between breaths. When Aria began to cough, Ezra felt tears in his eyes.

"Ezra?" Aria asked, trying to keep her eyes open. "I'm sorry, I wasn't-I didn't know-I just needed to clear-"

"Aria, it's okay." Ezra's voice broke. "I just…Don't do that to me again, okay?"

He wiped the silent tears falling down her cheeks and took her hands in his. That was when he noticed how much they were shaking.

"Aria, we need to get you warm." He tried not to show how worried he was as he lifter her limp body, her body was freezing and she was shaking uncontrollably. Looking around for the first time, he realized the storm had gotten severely worse. There was no way he could drive her anywhere in this weather. Frantically, he searched for some kind of shelter nearby and saw a little house near the beach's parking lot. As he made his way to the house, he had to yell at Aria constantly to keep her awake. Finally, he reached the door and rang the bell.

The middle-aged man who answered took a brief look at Aria and quickly ushered them in. The house was dark with the exception of candles here and there. The storm had spared no one. The man left them for a second and came back holding a pile of fresh, wintry clothes.

"The heater's down. Take these and change into them in that room. It's got a small bed, but it'll be enough for both of you."

The man noted the blush beginning to form on Ezra's cheeks and gave him a pointed look.

"I'm not asking you to sleep with her buddy, in fact, you better not. The sheets are white, I'll know. But the girl needs heat and body warmth is all you can do for her at this point. I'll leave some soup and medicine outside your door in a few. Leave your wet clothes outside and I'll pop them in the dryer."

With that, he disappeared into the kitchen and Ezra did as he was told. He closed the door behind them and laid Aria down on the bed. He nervously fiddled with the clothes with hands until Aria called out to him.

"Ezra," she said, taking his shaking hands into her own, "I can do it myself. Really, I'm feeling a bit better."

"No, Aria-"

"Ezra." She gently pried the clothes out of his hands and looked him in the eyes firmly. She no longer felt the need to drift off and her shaking had subsided by some degree. Ezra nodded his head, still unsure but as she began unbuttoning her clothes, he quickly turned away. He had no idea why he was being so strange, he was never like this with his other girlfriends. Not that Aria was his girlfriend.

He walked to the other end of the room and began changing. He heard Aria crawling underneath the covers and worked faster, stripping off his shirt. He could feel eyes on him and turned to see Aria look away quickly, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Turning back, he felt himself smiling a little for the first time in hours. After he had slipped on the dry clothes, he took both of their wet outfits and left them outside the door. Then he made his way to the bed, butterflies and all.

Ezra climbed in and for a moment both of them lay staring at the ceiling, not touching. Then he turned his body to the side and drew her in. He held her closer than he had ever before, placing his arm protectively around her body. Aria slowly relaxed in the comfort of his arms as he stroked her arm, trying to rub some warmth into her. It felt so good. Neither of them spoke, afraid that if they did, this feeling would end.

Soon enough, sleep took Aria. Ezra, however, couldn't fall asleep. He stared at the girl snuggled up to him and ran his hand along her hair, across her face, memorizing her features. She was so breathtaking. At that moment, her lips began trembling and he couldn't help it, he leaned in to kiss them gently. He snapped back in alarm when he heard Aria murmuring. She was talking in her sleep. Ezra smiled to himself and leaned in to hear what she was saying. Her words took him by surprise.

"Ezra, you love me. Real or not real?"

His answer was a silent whisper, barely audible against the fierce wind blowing against the shutters.

"Real."

**Hope y'all enjoyed that! You guys know how I love slipping in references here and there. There was a reference made to one of my favourite series ever at the end of this chapter, and everyone who guesses it gets a shout out! Hint: the movie based on the first book comes out in March 2012 and I cannot wait.**


	7. Chapter 7

02/11/2012

**Hello kids! I haven't updated this story in centuries and to be honest, I hadn't planned on doing so. But at the request of Sarale, I shall. This one's for you, Sara!**

The next morning was as gloomy as the last. Though the storm had left, it left remnants in the form of fallen branches and streets tinted with mud. Ezra, who hadn't slept a wink, had watched the progression of the storm through the window of the room he slept in with Aria. His student. No matter how hard he had tried, he could not stop thinking about the implications of his actions, which essentially amounted to breaking his promise to Jackie, his conniving ex. If she somehow found out about this, Aria would be ruined. And so, he came to a decision to leave by dawn unnoticed. This would prove much less difficult than he anticipated because in his arms, Aria felt the safest she had in ages and hence, slept like she was dead to the world. After gathering his dry clothes from the railing on which their host had hung them, he knocked softly on the man's door.

"I'm in the kitchen." A distant voice replied.

Ezra made his way downstairs, surprised to see the man up already. He looked up from his paper, taking a sip of coffee and motioning Ezra to sit down beside him.

Shaking his head, Ezra quickly walked over to collect his shoes from the hall and returned. "I'm afraid I've got to go. I have work in a couple hours and I've yet to take a shower." Ezra explained, sitting to tie his laces.

"Well, I've got a shower here. And I feel offended that you think I'd let you leave on an empty stomach, young man." The man replied gruffly.

Ezra smiled. "Thank you for your generous offer but I've really got to go. I don't have any suitable clothes here. And…I've got a cat to feed." The last part was an obvious lie, but Ezra was desperate to leave now. Before she woke up.

The man peered at him and finally nodded. "Alright. But some advice: If I were you, I'd take the day off. You don't look in any condition to work."

"I'll be fine." He ensured him, standing up. "I truly appreciate your hospitality. My…friend, is still asleep but I'm sure she will appreciate some breakfast. Tell her to take the day off, would you? Also…" He hesitated. "If she asks about me, could you maybe tell her that I was never here? That she came here all on her own and you took her in for the night?"

The man gave Ezra a questioning look, unsure of what to make of what he was being told.

"Please?" Ezra begged.

The man took in the pleading look in his eyes and nodded with a sigh. He knew there was more to the story but told himself it wasn't his place to pry.

"As long as you feed that cat." He answered with a smile.

Ezra laughed nervously and left with a wave, making a mental note to send the kind man a Thank You gift.

As the bell rang for first period, Ezra looked around his classroom. He breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed that Aria's seat remained unoccupied. The longer he had before he had to face her, the better. His behavior was pathetic, trying to hide from her like this and he knew that. But he couldn't help it.

"Good morning, everyone. I apologize for my disheveled state." He said, glancing at his slightly wrinkly shirt.

"Fun night, Mr. Fitz?" Noel Kahn called out, winking as the class snickered.

"Quite fun, Noel. Quite possibly more fun than you'll ever have." Ezra heard himself responding. The class laughed at his unexpected response while their ashamed teacher reprimanded himself.

Clearing his throat, he attempted to veer away from the conversation. "Alright, we'd better get started. I understand that a lot of you were unable to complete the assignment last night, on account of the storm. Taking that into consideration, I've decided to give you all an extension…to the end of class. You may begin now."

Groans took the place of cheers as the kids took out unfinished homework and began to work. Ezra hated being one of those teachers who simply dedicated entire periods to independent work as opposed to teaching and discussing. However, he really hadn't a choice this time around. The truth was, he didn't have a lesson plan for today.

Moments later, he heard footsteps leading into the room. He was almost afraid to look up, for he knew exactly who it was. It wasn't until he saw a shadow cast on his desk that he forced himself to look up.

"Hi." Aria said. Her face was unreadable.

"Hello, Aria. Are you…are you here to give me a late slip?" Ezra asked, twiddling his thumbs.

"I did. Although they gave me detention." She passed him the note, yet still remained standing there.

"The rest of the class is uh…working on the assignment from yesterday. I've given everyone an extension."

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm late? Or do you already know?" Aria asked him, searching his eyes.

"I can't think what you mean." He replied, shaking his head. "As for why you're late, we can discuss that at another time. You had better get started on that assignment." He motioned to her desk.

"Alright. I suppose I can tell you in detention." She appraised him, adding quietly, "Or you can tell me."

Detention. Ezra groaned inwardly as he realized he'd be presiding over detention today. Hearing a knock on his door, Ezra got up to answer it. He felt a chill pass through his body as he saw a steely-faced Jackie through its window. Judging from her expression, she had seen Aria at his desk. But surely she wouldn't hold this against him? He was Aria's teacher after all, they had to have some communication. Though knowing how jealous Jackie could be, told him she would. He recalled one instance during their dating days when he'd merely glanced at another woman and Jackie had snapped at him.

He opened the door for her and surprisingly enough, didn't receive a blow in the face.

"I need to talk to you, Ezra. Now." He looked back at his class, skipping over the one student he knew was sure to be staring at them. Closing the door behind them, Ezra ushered her into the hall.

"What is it, Jackie? I'm in the middle of class." He snapped.

"No need to be so hostile, my God. I didn't even yell at you for breaking the rules just now, did I? It's pathetic, really. How you can't seem to keep yourself away from her."

Ezra sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Jackie, she's my student. What do you expect me to do?"

"Nevermind that. I'm pregnant."

Ezra's ears nearly exploded at her calm words. Pregnant? But, they hadn't been intimate in years. Suddenly, it dawned on him.

"Whose baby is it?"

"Well, that's just the thing. We're going to tell everyone it's your baby." Jackie replied, smiling as she straightened his tie.

"We will do no such thing!" He spat, brushing her hands away from his body.

"We will. Or else your little girl toy is finished." She said, enunciating each word.

Yet, this time Ezra remained poised. "So, does Principal Cole know about this baby?"

Jackie looked at him with a stunned expression.

"What? Why…why would he know?" She cleared her throat. "That's a preposterous suggestion, Mr. Fitz. One that could get you into a lot of trouble." She warned.

"Really?" He asked, giving her a cool smile. "Because that's not the way I see it. You see, the way I see it, it could get him into a lot of trouble. Enough trouble, that he would go through great lengths to ensure your false accusations about Aria and I, are unheard so as to avoid this trouble from coming to light."

"Ezra, if you tell him, he will ensure that this child is never born. I have known him long enough to know that is what would happen. You would kill a potential baby to save your girlfriend from shame?" Her accusatory tone was completely overdone, but she struck a chord all the same. Ezra realized he was in a tight bind.

"Listen," She took his hand. "If you don't pretend to be the father, he'll know that it's his. And then this baby is over. Gone."

Breaking away, he shook his head in irritation. "Stop talking like that, will you?" He paced the hallway, and realized there was no way around it. No way to save both Aria and the baby. Until of course, a thought occurred to him.

"How do I know that you're actually pregnant? I mean, you could be fabricating this whole thing!" He cried, almost relieved as he realized he could very well be right. "I certainly wouldn't put it past you."

Jackie rummaged through her purse and pulled out the pregnancy test she had taken. "Do you see that? Positive. And if you don't believe me, I have a dozen more in here. All positive. We can even go to the washroom right now and check again, if you makes you happy. But I can assure you, it will always be positive."

Ezra closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. He knew she wasn't lying.

"Fine." Recognizing how very hopeless he was, he finally gave in.

He turned his back on her and made his way into his classroom, only to find that she had followed him in.

The class looked up as she coughed deliberately.

"We just wanted to announce to you all-"

"Ms. Molina, what are you-" Ezra began, fearing the worst.

And then his worst fears came true before he could stop her.

"that Mr. Fitz and I are pregnant!" She lovingly placed a frozen Ezra's hand on her tummy.

Ezra's students looked at each other in confusion before someone began clapping and everyone else joined in. Everyone except Aria.

"I'll see you later, babe." Jackie kissed Ezra's cheek and leaned in to whisper. "You'll remember to stay away from her next time." With that, she left the class to their dying applause.

He heard the scraping of a chair and saw Aria rush out of the room with her hands on her stomach. Spencer got up worriedly. "I'll go see what's wrong with her. Congratulations, Mr. Fitz."

Ezra nodded, hoping no one could read through him. The class hadn't noticed Aria's exit as everyone had begun socializing. Thankfully, he was saved by the bell. He ensured that Hanna and Emily grabbed their friends' belongings on the way out, because he really couldn't face Aria coming back now. Not when he was in the state he was in. He needed time to recollect himself and think about what he would tell her. By the final bell indicating detention period, he had made up his mind.

As each student strolled in, he told them that he would have to reschedule detention due to a family emergency. Just as he anticipated, Aria was the last to arrive. Walking into the room, she noticed it was empty and made for the door.

"Aria, wait! Please." He ran after her, grabbing her arm lightly. She stopped just before the door but didn't turn around.

"I sent them all away. So I could talk to you." Ezra told her back, taking a deep breath. "I have a lot of explaining to do, and I understand that you really don't want to see me right now-" He lowered his voice as Ms. Welsch walked by. "But I can't bear the idea of you hating me. And I need to make things right."

"I don't see any way that you could make this right." She told him, her voice trembling.

"Aria, please give me a chance. I promise you will change your mind."

She inhaled slowly and bit her lip, still with her back towards him.

"Alright. Only because I don't believe what that man told me." She turned to face him. "The one whose house we stayed at." He didn't reply. She knew that he knew what she was talking about. "He told me that I dreamt that you'd saved me and that we'd stayed at his house together. That you weren't even there. But I don't believe him, and if you saved my life last night like I think you did, then I owe you this."

Ezra didn't try to deny any of it. He looked around the hallways before whispering in her ear.

"It's not safe to talk here. I'll take my car a block away from the school. Can you meet me on Downton Boulevard?"

She nodded and he walked out to his car, driving to Downton. Within five minutes, a breathless Aria hopped in beside him.

Ezra knew Jackie was at an appointment, so he wasn't really worried about anyone seeing Aria get in. But he asked her anyways, as they drove further away from the school.

"Did anyone see you?"

Aria shook her head. "I had on a wig." She gestured to her hand, where lo and behold, a blond wig lay. For the first time that day, Ezra felt like laughing.

"If it's a long story, Ezra, you'd better start now." She told him in a serious tone, buckling herself in.

And so, Ezra told her everything. From his relationship to Jackie to the night of the storm, to his forced relationship with Jackie before finishing off with the baby that did not belong to him. Aria remained silent throughout. When he was done, she still remained silent.

"Can you please say something Aria?"

"I'm sorry, I just…this is a lot to take in. But I think you need to stop the car." Ezra's heart sank but he did as he was told. He unlocked her door, expecting her to get out. To his dismay, she leaned in and kissed him hard on the lips. Soon enough, he got over his dismay and kissed her back. In this very moment, Jackie and the law could go to hell. He was kissing the woman he loved.

Aria was the first to break away from the kiss, much to Ezra's disappointment.

She smiled at him caressing his hair as tears took over her eyes. "Thank you for loving me, Ezra."

He wiped her eyes with a sad smile.

Her smile grew bigger. "I know you think that this is the end, but it's not. I refuse to let her ruin this. And that baby has a right to know its real father. So, I have a solution for both." She laughed gaily.

"You didn't think of this because you're a guy, but we don't have to tell Principal Cole about his illegitimate baby. We can tell his wife. Or at least, you can."

Ezra raised his eyebrow. "What will that accomplish besides ending their marriage?"

"Well, I think it's only right that she knows what Jackie is claiming. She'll probably get him to do a paternity test and it'll prove he's the father. But she won't divorce him because here in Rosewood, no one gets divorced. These families live for reputation, Ezra. She will get him to deal with the baby, don't you worry. She is a mother herself. He'll likely pay Jackie to raise the baby on her own and more importantly for him, move to another school so that there is no sudden revelation."

Ezra simply looked at her in awe. "You are genius."

Aria kissed him. "I think you should do it now. The sooner the better. Before Jackie comes up with another baby."

Ezra laughed. "I guess I have to do this alone, huh?"

"Well, unless you want Mrs. Cole to realize you're dating your student." Aria replied with a smile.

Ezra nodded with a smile. "You're right."

He knew where the principal lived and that he was definitely still at school. After driving Aria to her empty house, he went on his way to meet with Mrs. Cole.


End file.
